‘Mental Healthcare Will Be Placed Under NHIS’ – Agyemang-Manu

The Minister-designate for Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu has hinted of plans to place mental healthcare under the National Health Insurance Health Scheme.

The nominee responding to a question by NDC MP for Madina, Lawyer Francis Xavier Sosu if he would consider placing mental health under the Health Insurance, his simpler answer was yes.

According to him, if there should be an amendment of the law for this to be done, he is willing to take the charge to see to its full implementation.

Mr. Kwaku Agyemang-Manu said there plans underway for this to happen.

The legislator raised serious issues on funding in mental healthcare management despite it being free under the Mental Healthcare Act.

He asked the nominee if he will consider leading a charge to have it placed under the Health Insurance Scheme and in his response he said “the simple answer is yes. It is in consideration. We are talking about it. But simply, I will say yes. If the amendment of the law will solve the problem, I will say yes.”

It is estimated that of the 21.6 million people living in Ghana, 650,000 are suffering from a severe mental disorder and a further 2,166, 000 are suffering from a moderate to mild mental disorder.

The treatment gap is 98% of the total population expected to have a mental disorder.

In 2018, the WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, identified mental health as an area for which action should be accelerated.

The result was the establishment of the WHO Special Initiative for the Mental Health, covering the 5-year period 2019-2023.

The goal of the Initiative is that 100 million more people have access to quality and affordable mental health care by 2023.